Pull-up bolt assembly

ABSTRACT

A pull-up bolt assembly for frictionally supporting a high-weight structure to a hinge component using an opening or recess in the high-weight structure. The bolt assembly includes a pull-up bolt member having a threaded shaft with a first shaft end and a second shaft end, and an abutting member with a tapered surface formed at the first shaft end, the abutting member being wider than and tapering toward the threaded shaft, a nut component with an external torque-applying surface threadably connected to the threaded shaft, a tapered member with a tapered end portion and a flange formed between the external torque-applying surface of the nut component and the tapered end portion wherein the tapered end portion faces toward the tapered surface of the abutting member, and an expandable friction member disposed around the threaded shaft between the abutting member and the tapered member whereby the expandable friction member expands when the nut component is threadably moved toward the abutting member of the pull-up bolt member.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates generally to expansion bolts.Particularly, the present invention relates to expansion bolts used with“manway” covers for access to enclosed spaces such as tanks, conduits,storage areas, heat exchanger tubes. More particularly, the presentinvention relates to expansion bolts used with mechanisms to assist inthe removal of “manway” covers. Even more particularly, the presentinvention relates to expansion bolts used with mechanisms for handlingthe removal and installation of “manway” covers that are either toohazardous, or too heavy, or too cumbersome to be handled by an unaidedindividual.

2. Description of the Prior Art

Manway covers are typically large, heavy, metal plates that are boltedto an opening. For purposes of the present invention, the definition of“manway covers” expressly means any heavy covers or closures used onpressure vessels, vacuum vessels, atmospheric vessels, heat exchangers,heat exchanger channel covers, heat exchanger channels, heat exchangerbonnets, or any type of blanking plate and is not construed to belimited to only covers used on openings that are dimensionally-sized toallow passage of a human. The most common are circularly-shaped and mateto a flange by way of a plurality of bolts evenly spaced around theperiphery of the opening. However, it should be understood that theheavy covers may be any shape. The defined manway covers typicallyprovide access to enclosed spaces such as tanks, conduits, storageareas, transfer tubes, pressure vessels, vacuum vessels, atmosphericvessels, heat exchangers, heat exchanger channel covers, heat exchangerchannels, heat exchanger bonnets, and the like.

Routine servicing and inspection requirements as well as other operatingconditions necessitate periodic removal of these manway covers. In viewof the typical location and weight of the manway covers, it is not asimple task to remove the cover or to re-install the same. Removal iscurrently accomplished with the use of hand operated davit swing arms,chain falls, ratchet hoists, hinge devices, and brute force. Except fordavit swing arms and hinge devices, it is necessary during the removalprocess to lower the covers a distance to a level surface.

Various devices have been devised to facilitate manway cover removal andre-installation. U.S. Patent Application Publication 2008/0256753 (2008,DePietro et al.) discloses a portable manway cover hinge device. Thehinge device has a pair of hinge plates where each hinge plate has asupport member with a hinge aperture positioned for alignment with abolt opening of a manway cover and a manway flange, a linkage memberadjacent a first end of each hinge plate and extending out of the planeof the hinge plate, and a pivotal connection coupling overlapping pairsof the linkage member of the pair of hinge plates.

U.S. Patent Application Publication 2008/0256866 (2008, DePietro et al.)discloses a portable manway cover hinge device. The hinge device has apair of elongated hinge members where each hinge member has a pair oflongitudinally-aligned, elongated apertures, a support member slidablyconnected to each of the elongated apertures where the support memberhas a pin receiving end, and a linkage member pivotally connected toeach of the pair of elongated hinge members.

U.S. Patent Application Publication 2005/0242051 (2005, Porebski et al.)discloses a removable cover support system having a base member and asecuring mechanism slidably insertable through at least one of a coverflange hole of a cover assembly, a retaining sleeve connected to thesecuring base assembly, a swingarm assembly rotatably supported by theretaining sleeve, and a lifting mechanism connected to the swingarmassembly.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,519,519 (1985, Meuschke et al.) discloses a davitassembly that is connected with a transfer tube and a hatch cover tomove the cover away. The davit assembly, which is a swingarm, ispermanently attached to the outside of the transfer tube.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,297,072 (1981, Shah et al.) discloses a manway handlingapparatus having a support arm pivotally mountable on equipment havingelliptical manway access openings. The support arm when mounted isswingable toward and away from an access opening and carries a bearingblock supporting bracket which is longitudinally adjustably positionableon the arm. The bearing block is vertically adjustably positionable inthe bracket and slidably supports a shaft which is attachable to anelliptical cover. The shaft carries structure means which when actuatedby turning of a crank handle is effective for tilting the cover and tofacilitate its installation and removal.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,865,513 (1989, Norris) discloses a portable manway coverhandling apparatus. A boom is mounted within a sleeve for longitudinaltranslation and the sleeve is hinged to a base plate that is securableby a C-clamp to a superstructure beam in front of a manway cover. Ahydraulic actuator bears against the sleeve to adjust its elevation. Apowered cable winch is joined to one end of the boom and its cablepasses through the boom, which is hollow to the opposite end, and abouta pulley to a fastener for attachment to an eye secured in the upperedge of the manway cover. A presser foot is hydraulically actuated tobear against the manway cover with the cable attached to the cover sothat the bolts holding the cover in place can be removed. Guide pins areprovided for installation in the mounting flange to pilot the cover intoregistration with the bolt holes when the cover is to be mounted ratherthan demounted.

Some of the prior art devices discuss the use of tapered pins, pins orexpansion plugs, however, they suffer from serious disadvantages. Theseinclude the fact that the manway covers are extremely heavy and taperedpins, straight pins or expansion plugs would not safely support theweight of the cover or securely hold a cover to the various manway coverswingarm devices or hinge devices causing a serious hazard to a user.

The mechanical attachment of two components with one component having ablind hole and the other component having a through hole has not beenfeasible without additional machining. The standard practice is to tapthe blind hole with threads. A bolt is installed into the tapped hole,which creates a pull-up force to secure the two components with bothfriction and tensile forces.

Design clearances between bolt diameters and bolt holes allow forlateral movement within the design clearances. Lateral movement betweenthe two components can occur if the interface friction is less than thelateral force between the two components. Locating pins may be installedto precisely locate the two components, but require accurate machiningand dowel pins to eliminate lateral movement.

In another application, the two components to be attached both havingthrough holes. It is often desirable to attach these types of componentssuch that the attaching device does not extend beyond or outside one ofthe through holes. It is also possible to tap one or both of the throughholes for receiving a bolt.

However, rules regarding the machining of hardware after certificationof certain types of equipment may prevent machining of componentswithout recertification. Recertification of installed equipmentoperating in the field can be expensive, time consuming, and in manycases impossible.

Therefore, what is needed is a removable expansion device that cansafely support the weight of a manway cover as well as hold a manwaycover to a manway swingarm device or a manway hinge device without theneed to alter the structural integrity of the manway cover or a matingflange.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the present invention to provide a removable,re-usable expansion fastening device that safely supports the weight ofmanway covers. It is another object of the present invention to providea removable, re-usable expansion fastening device that holds a manwaycover to a manway swingarm device or a manway hinge device withoutaltering the structural integrity of the manway cover or its matingflange.

The present invention achieves these and other objectives by providing apull-up bolt assembly for frictionally supporting a high-weightstructure to a hinge component using an opening or recess in thehigh-weight structure as well as resisting the pull out forces imposedby the manway cover. The pull-up bolt assembly includes a pull-up boltmember with a threaded shaft and an abutting member end, a nut componentthreadably attached to a nut-receiving end of the pull-up bolt member, atapered member disposed around the threaded shaft between the nutcomponent and the abutting member end, and a radially expandablefriction member disposed around the threaded shaft between the taperedmember and the abutting member end.

In one embodiment of the pull-up bolt assembly of the present invention,the pull-up bolt member has the threaded shaft with a first shaft endand a second shaft end, and the abutting member with a tapered surfaceformed at the first shaft end. The abutting member is wider than andtapers toward the threaded shaft. The nut component has an externaltorque-applying surface. The tapered member has a tapered end portionand an optional flange formed between the external torque-applyingsurface of the nut component and the tapered end portion where thetapered end portion faces toward the tapered surface of the abuttingmember. The radially expandable friction member is disposed around thethreaded shaft between the abutting member and the tapered member. Atleast a portion of the expandable friction member expands outwardly in aradial direction relative to the longitudinal axis of the threaded shaftwhen the nut component is threadably moved (i.e. tightened) toward theabutting member of the pull-up bolt member.

In another embodiment of the present invention, the second shaft end ofthe pull-up bolt member has an end face with a slot. The slot isconfigured to receive the straight blade of a straight screwdriver.

In a further embodiment of the present invention, the nut component andthe tapered member with the flange are integrally formed.

In another embodiment of the present invention, the tapered memberincludes a cylindrically-shaped portion between the tapered end portionand the flange. The cylindrically-shaped portion is an alignment surfacewith a diameter in close tolerance with a pin receiving opening in amanway hinge device.

In still another embodiment of the present invention, the tapered memberincludes a cylindrical central portion having a stop end with aperipheral surface that extends laterally from the cylindrical centralportion, a tapered end opposite the stop end, and a bore through thetapered member that is larger than the threaded shaft of the pull-upbolt member.

In yet another embodiment of the present invention, the expandablefriction member has a plurality of slots extending from each frictionmember end to a central continuous portion. In another embodiment of theexpandable friction member, the plurality of slots extend from eachfriction member end a predefined distance along the longitudinal lengthof the friction member and ending adjacent the opposite friction memberend sufficient to maintain a continuous, single, unitary frictionmember.

In another embodiment of the present invention, the expandable frictionmember has an inclined inner wall portion with a diameter graduallydecreasing between a friction member end to an inner portion.

In another embodiment of the present invention, there is optionallyincluded an anti-rotation member configured to prevent the expandablefriction member from rotating around the pull-up bolt member. In oneembodiment, the anti-rotation member may be a pin or shoulder thatlaterally extends from the pull-up bolt member and mates with an endnotch formed into the friction member end of the expandable frictionmember.

In another embodiment of the present invention, the expandable frictionmember has a Rockwell hardness that is equal to or greater than theRockwell hardness of the structural component such as a manway cover inwhich it is to be used. Because of the shear and pull-out forcesassociated with the weight of manway covers and the safety issues thatarise when such covers are removed, the Rockwell hardness ratio of thefriction member and the structural component is an important factor whensafety is the primary concern. A ratio of less that 1 to 1 of thefriction member to the structural component (One example of such a ratiois 0.8 to 1) means that the friction member is “softer” than thestructural component and will “deform” under expansion pressure(pressure caused by the expansion of the expandable friction memberwithin the bolt opening of the manway cover/flange) before the structurecomponent surface deforms. In the configuration where the Rockwellhardness ration is greater than 1 to 1 of the expandable friction memberto the bolt opening in the cover/flange, the expandable friction memberis said to “bite” into the wall surface of the bolt opening placing theexpandable friction member in shear with the bolt opening. In the latterconfiguration where the Rockwell hardness of the expandable frictionmember is less than that of the bolt opening, the concept is somewhatreversed. Except in situations where cover and flange bolt openingsurfaces are polished, the bolt opening surface is irregular. Typically,scoring marks and scratches exist in the surface. By using an expandablefriction member 40 that has a Rockwell hardness less than the materialuse for the cover or flange, the softer friction member 40 will deformunder expansion pressure causing the friction member 40 to “flow” intosome of the recesses of the scoring marks and scratches, whichdeformation will also resist pull-out forces imposed by the manwaycover.

In a further embodiment of the present invention, the expandablefriction member has on outer surface with one or more surfacecharacteristics selected from a surface that is roughened, knurled,grooved, ridged, threaded, and the like.

In yet another embodiment of the present invention, the expandablefriction member has a lateral flange that may be used with manway coversincorporating a gasket. The gap between the cover and the flange causedby the gasket provides a configuration where the friction member flangecan be expanded into the gap further preventing any pull-out of thepull-up bolt assembly.

In another embodiment of the present invention, there is a combinationhinge device and a plurality of pull-up bolt assemblies for manwaycovers.

In another embodiment of the present invention, there is a method ofusing one embodiment of a pull-up bolt assembly for connecting a manwaycover hinge device to a manway cover. The method includes removing asecuring bolt from a manway cover and exposing a bolt opening in themanway cover, aligning an opening in a hinge plate of a manway hingedevice with the bolt opening in the manway cover, inserting a pull-upbolt assembly having a pull-up bolt with a threaded rod and a taperedsurface on a first end, a radially expandable friction member disposedover the threaded rod and a nut member threadably connected to thethreaded rod adjacent a second end of the pull-up bolt into the openingin the hinge plate and the bolt opening in the manway cover whereby theexpandable friction member is positioned within the bolt opening in themanway cover, and tightening the nut member toward the tapered surfaceon the first end of the pull-up bolt causing the expandable frictionmember to expand radially and securely fix the pull-up bolt within thebolt opening of the manway cover and the hinge plate to the manwaycover.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of the present inventionshowing the pull-up bolt assembly.

FIG. 2 is a side plan view of the embodiment shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of one embodiment of a pull-up bolt memberused in the pull-up bolt assembly shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a side plan view of the pull-up bolt member shown in FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is a bottom plan view of the pull-up bolt member shown in FIG. 3.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of one embodiment of a radially expandablefriction member shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 7 is a side plan view of the expandable friction member shown inFIG. 6.

FIG. 8 is a first end view of the expandable friction member shown inFIG. 6.

FIG. 9 is a second end view of the expandable friction member shown inFIG. 6.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of one embodiment of a tapered member usedin the pull-up bolt assembly shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 11 is an end view of the embodiment of the tapered member shown inFIG. 9.

FIG. 12 is a perspective view of one embodiment of a friction memberretainer ring, a washer and a pull-up bolt nut component of theembodiment shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 13 is a side plan view of another embodiment of the presentinvention showing an integral tapered member and pull-up bolt nutcomponent.

FIG. 14 is an end view of integral tapered member and nut componentshown in FIG. 13.

FIG. 15 is a perspective view of another embodiment of the expandablefriction member of the present invention.

FIG. 16 is a perspective view of another embodiment of the expandablefriction member of the present invention.

FIG. 17 is a side plan view of another embodiment of the presentinvention showing an expandable friction member with a flange.

FIG. 18 is an enlarged side plan view of the expandable friction membershown in FIG. 17.

FIG. 19 is an enlarged perspective view of the expandable frictionmember shown in FIG. 17.

FIG. 20 is a partial, cross-sectional view of the expandable frictionmember showing insertion into a bolt hole before expansion and afterexpansion.

FIG. 21 is a side, partial cross-sectional view of a pull-up boltassembly using the embodiment of the integral tapered member and pull-upbolt nut shown in FIG. 12.

FIG. 22 is a perspective view of the present invention in use securing ahinge device to a manway cover.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

The preferred embodiment(s) of the present invention is illustrated inFIGS. 1-22. FIG. 1 illustrates one embodiment of the present inventionshowing a pull-up bolt assembly 10. Pull-up bolt assembly 10 includes apull-up bolt member 20, a radially expandable friction member 40, atapered member 60, and a nut component 80. In this embodiment, aretaining ring 100 is disposed around the friction member 40 and anoptional anti-rotation member 110 laterally extends from pull-up boltmember 20 and cooperates with expandable friction member 40. Pull-upbolt assembly 10 has a blind end 12 and a torque-applying end 14.

Turning to FIG. 2, there is shown a side view of pull-up bolt assembly10 illustrated in FIG. 1. Optional anti-rotation member 110 isconfigured to prevent the expandable friction member 40 from rotatingaround pull-up bolt member 20. An optional washer 82 may also bepositioned between nut component 80 and tapered member 60. Because blindend 12 of pull-up bolt assembly 10 is typically unaccessible during usefor removing manway covers, pull-up bolt assembly 10 optionally includesan anti-rotation structure 30 (not shown) formed in or attorque-applying end 14 to prevent the pull-up bolt member from rotatingwhen a torque is applied to nut component 80 during installation of thepull-up bolt assembly 10 into a manway cover.

FIGS. 3 to 5 illustrate one embodiment of pull-up bolt member 20.Pull-up bolt member 20 includes a threaded shaft 22 with a first shaftend 24 and a second shaft end 28. First shaft end 24 includes anabutting member 25 with a tapered surface 26. Abutting member 25 iswider than threaded shaft 22 and tapered surface 26 tapers towardthreaded shaft 22. Tapered surface 26 presents an inclined surface forreceiving an end of expandable friction member 40. In this embodiment,anti-rotation structure 30 at second shaft end 28 includes a shaft endface 29 and a slot 31 within shaft end face 29 for receiving a straightend screwdriver. Also in this illustrated embodiment, anti-rotationmember 110 is a pin that extends laterally from pull-up bolt member 20to engage expandable friction member 40. Anti-rotation member 110eliminates relative motion between friction member 40 and tapered member60, reducing friction during the tightening process and prevents gallingand wear of the components. If abutting member 25 and threaded shaft 22are manufactured as two components, anti-rotation member 110 can be usedas the pin joining the two components. Abutting member 25, taperedsurface 26 and threaded shaft 22 may be manufactured as a singlecomponent or may be made as two components. When manufactured as twocomponents, a threaded bore is formed in abutting member 25 and taperedsurface 26. In this case, threaded shaft 22 is treated with ananti-loosening agent such as lock-tite, screwed into abutting member 25,and pinned where the pin is anti-rotation member 110. Anti-rotationmember 110 may be coupled to abutting member 25 or it may be integrallyformed with abutting member 25. It should be understood thatanti-rotation member 110 may also be coupled to threaded shaft 22 withexpandable friction member 40 being modified to engage withanti-rotation member 110.

Turning now to FIGS. 6 to 9, there is illustrated one embodiment ofexpandable friction member 40. Expandable friction member 40 iscylindrically-shaped and has a first and second friction member ends 46,47. Optionally one or both friction member ends 46, 47 may have aninclined inner wall portion 42, 42′, respectively, having a diameterthat gradually decreases between each of the friction member ends 46, 47to an inner portion 43. In this embodiment, expandable friction member40 is made up of a plurality of longitudinal member body segments. Theplurality of member body segments includes four friction member sideportions 40 a, 40 b, 40 c, and 40 d. Each side portion forms one-quarterof the cylinder wall of radially expandable friction member 40. Theplurality of segments of friction member 40 are kept together withretaining ring 100, which surrounds substantially all of friction member40 and is disposed in a friction member groove 48 in an outer surface 45of friction member 40. It should be understood that the plurality ofsegments may be 2, 3, 4, or more and that the four segmented frictionmember 40 is not limiting. It is also noted that the spacing betweeneach friction member side portion is for clarity purposes only sinceretaining ring 100 would hold friction side portions 40 a-d together yetallow friction member 40 to radially expand during use without excessiveresistive forces. The retaining ring 100 is made for either spring steelor oil resistant O-ring material. Optionally, adjacent corners offriction member side portions 40 a and 40 b may be removed forming anangled surface 50, which, when friction member 40 is assembled, forms ananti-rotation member receiving notch 51. Outer surface 45 of frictionmember 40 may optionally have a non-smooth finish such as a surface thatis roughened, knurled, grooved, ridged, threaded, and the like, toprovide better frictional properties when installed in a manway coverbolt opening.

Turning now to FIGS. 10 and 11, there is illustrated one embodiment of atapered member 60. Tapered member 60 has a tapered end portion 62 and aflange 66 that functions as an end stop that contacts a manway hingedevice when pull-up bolt assembly 10 is inserted into the alignedopenings of a manway cover bolt opening and a manway hinge deviceopening. In this embodiment, tapered member 60 has an alignment surface64 adjacent flange 66 sized for a close-tolerance fit to the opening inthe manway hinge device and a structure support surface 70 betweenalignment surface 64 and tapered end portion 62. Tapered end portion 62engages friction member end 47 of friction member 40. Structure supportsurface 70 is sized for a close-tolerance fit with the manway cover boltopening to provide a shear surface upon which the edge of the boltopening is in contact. Structure support surface 70 may be cylindricalor have a taper. For the cylindrically-shaped embodiment, structuresupport surface 70 has a diameter smaller than the diameter of alignmentsurface 64 but within very close tolerance to the bolt opening. Theclose tolerance typically does not differ more than about minustwenty-thousandths of an inch (−0.020″) (−0.5 mm) from the diameter ofthe bolt opening. For the tapered embodiment, surface 70 is a taperedsurface which begins at alignment surface 64 and reduces in diameter asit approaches tapered end portion 62. The angle of the taper is smallerthan angle of the taper on tapered end portion 62. The taper angle ofstructure support surface 70 is greater than 0° and less than or equalto 10°. The preferred taper angle is about 1°. In both structure supportsurface embodiments, structure support surface 70 begins within thehinge device 1 and extends into the cover 2 or flange 3 to provide ashear surface limiting any sliding between the cover 2 and the hingedevice 1. For example, when tapered member 60 is configured like theembodiment shown in FIG. 10, structure support surface 70 would haveapproximately 0.015″ radial clearance between surface 70 and the insidediameter of the bolt opening in the cover/flange). Specifically forsafety reasons, the close-tolerance fit is important for providing thenecessary reliability required for holding and supporting the manwaycover with the pull-up bolt assembly 10. Tapered member 60 also includesa bore 68 through its entire length that is sized to allow passage ofthreaded shaft 22 therethrough. The diameter of structure supportsurface 70 is the same or less than the diameter of expandable frictionmember 40.

FIG. 12 illustrates one embodiment of retaining ring 110, washer 82 andnut component 80. The shapes of these components are merely illustrativeand can be modified so long as their functional characteristics are notcompromised. Particularly, retaining ring 110 is a split ring and mayhave a cross-sectional shape that is circular (as shown), oval,rectangular, square, hexagonal, and the like.

Turning now to FIGS. 13 and 14, there is illustrated another embodimentof the tapered member and nut component. In this embodiment, a taperedmember 160 is integrally formed with a nut component 180 creating abushing nut component 190. Tapered member 160 has a tapered end portion162 and a flange 166 that functions as an end stop which contacts amanway hinge device when pull-up bolt assembly 10 is inserted into thealigned openings of a manway cover bolt opening and a manway hingedevice opening. It is also contemplated that flange 166 may be aseparate washer. In this embodiment, tapered member 160 has an alignmentsurface 164 adjacent flange 166 sized for a close-tolerance fit to theopening in the manway hinge device and a structure support surface 170between alignment surface 164 and tapered end portion 162. Tapered endportion 162 engages friction member end 47 of friction member 40.Structure support surface 170 in this embodiment is an inclined surfacethat has less of an incline angle than tapered end 162. Structuresupport surface 170 is sized for a close-tolerance fit with the manwaycover bolt opening so that support surface 170 engages the manway coverbolt opening when all of the cover bolts are removed, which causes thecover to “sag” onto support surface 170 if and when the cover slips.Tapered member 160 also includes a bore 168 through its entire lengththat is sized to allow passage of threaded shaft 22 therethrough. Bore168, however, may be completely threaded or may be a shaft throughtapered member 160 with a diameter that is larger than the outer threaddiameter of threaded shaft 22. In the later case, it is contemplatedthat nut component 180 has internal threads for threadably attachingbushing nut component 190. The largest diameter of structure supportsurface 170 is the same or less than the diameter of expandable frictionmember 40. The bushing nut component 190 has a hex internal recess orexternal shape or other structure such as slots or flats on one end forwrenching.

FIG. 15 is a perspective view of another embodiment of a radiallyexpandable friction member 40′. Expandable friction member 40′ includesa plurality of slots 53 that are formed into a cylindrical wall 52 offriction member 40′. Slots 53 extend longitudinally from each frictionmember end 46, 47 toward a central friction member portion 54. Slots 53that extend from opposite ends 46, 47 of friction member 40′ may bealigned or offset. Central friction member portion 54 maintainsexpandable friction member 40′ as a unitary component that allows endportions 56, 57 to expand radially. Although not shown, friction memberends 46, 47 may optionally (but preferably) include inclined innersurfaces similar to the inclined inner surfaces 42 shown if FIG. 6.

FIG. 16 is a perspective view of another embodiment of a radiallyexpandable friction member 40″. Expandable friction member 40″ includesa plurality of slots 53 that are formed into a cylindrical wall 52 offriction member 40″. Slots 53 extend longitudinally from each frictionmember end 46, 47 a predefined distance along the longitudinal length offriction member 40″ and ending adjacent the opposite friction member endleaving a friction member connective portion 58 sufficient to maintain aexpandable friction member 40″ as a unitary component. As seen from FIG.15, adjacent slots 53 are and must necessarily be offset from eachother. This configuration allows the end portions 56, 57 to expandradially outward. All embodiments of the radially expandable frictionmember are made of a material that is ductile and has a Rockwell Bhardness scale value of 300 or more. The currently preferred material ismetallic.

Turning now to FIGS. 17 to 20, there is illustrated pull-up boltassembly 10 showing another embodiment of expandable friction member 40.In this embodiment, expandable friction member 40 includes a frictionmember flange 49 that extends laterally from outside surface 45 atfriction member end 46. This embodiment may be used with manway coversthat incorporate a gasket between the cover and the mating flange. Thegasket is not always a full-faced gasket covering the entire opposingsurfaces of the cover 2 and mating flange 3. There is typically a gapbetween the mating flange 3 and the cover 2 where the gasket is located.This is more clearly shown in FIG. 20. FIG. 20 is a partial illustrationof the flange 49 and pull-up bolt member 20. The spacing between cover 2and flange 3 is exaggerated in order to more clearly show the positionof the gasket. At a top bolt opening 5, pull-up bolt assembly 10 isshown within bolt opening 5 in a non-expanded condition. In thisconfiguration, friction member flange 49 can slide through bolt opening5. At a bottom bolt opening 5, pull-up bolt assembly 10 is shown withinbolt opening 5 in an expanded condition. As can be seen, friction memberflange 49 is positioned beyond the inside edge of bolt opening 5 andforced into the gap causing friction member flange 49 to expand to adiameter larger than bolt opening 5. Friction member flange 49 furtherprevents pull-up bolt assembly 10 from being pulled out of bolt opening5, providing greater resistance to the pull-out forces imposed by cover2.

FIG. 21 is a cross-sectional view of a pull-bolt assembly 10′ of thepresent invention. In this embodiment, the bushing nut component 190 isthreadably connected to threaded shaft 22 of pull-up bolt member 20.

The assembled expandable pull-up bolt assembly 10 is designed to createa friction fit between the expandable friction member 40 and the insidediameter of the bolt openings in the cover or flange of a manwayopening. In the preferred embodiment, the inboard faces of abuttingmember 25 (i.e. tapered surface 26) and of tapered member 60 (i.e.tapered portion 62) are tapered or inclined, as are the outboard facesof friction member ends 46, 47 (i.e. inner surfaces 42). Acceptabletapers may be between zero (0) degrees and ninety (90) degrees with theoptimal taper being thirty degrees.

In use, as the nut component 80 is tightened onto threaded shaft 22, thetapered member 60 moves toward the abutting member 25. The radiallyexpandable friction member 40 rides up on the tapered faces of taperedsurface 26 and tapered portion 62 forcing the expandable friction member40 radially outward. The assembled expandable pull-up bolt assembly 10is designed to create a friction fit between the expandable frictionmember 40 and the inside diameter of the bolt openings in the coverand/or flange.

The pull-up bolt assembly 10 is designed to resist shear and pulloutforces when the cover of a manway opening is in the closed, open, andpartially open positions. When the cover is closed, the plurality offasteners (i.e. pull-up bolt assembly 10) on both the cover and flangesides are largely in shear. In this case, the applied load is equal tothe weight of the cover acting through a moment arm approximately equalto half of the cover diameter. If the cover is domed, then there issmall pullout force caused by the weight of the projection actingthrough a moment arm equal to the center of gravity of the projection.When the cover is open, the forces on the cover-side fasteners remainlargely unchanged from the closed position. On the flange side, theforces are largely in line with the fasteners imposing a pullout forceon the lower fastener equal to the weight of the cover acting through amoment arm approximately equal to half of the cover diameter. Inpartially open positions, the forces vary between the full open and fullclosed positions. FIG. 22 illustrates use of one embodiment of thepull-up bolt assembly 10 of the present invention connecting a manwayhinge device 1 to a manway cover 2 and showing both the closed and openpositions of the manway cover 2.

Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have beendescribed herein, the above description is merely illustrative. Furthermodification of the invention herein disclosed will occur to thoseskilled in the respective arts and all such modifications are deemed tobe within the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A pull-up bolt assembly adapted to be used for frictionally supporting a high-weight structure to a hinge component using an opening or recess in the high-weight structure, the bolt assembly comprising: a pull-up bolt member having a threaded shaft with a first shaft end and a second shaft end, and an abutting member with a tapered surface formed at the first shaft end, the abutting member being wider than and tapering toward the threaded shaft; a nut component with an external torque-applying surface threadably connected to the threaded shaft; a tapered member with a tapered end portion, a flange formed between the external torque-applying surface of the nut component and the tapered end portion and a cylindrically-shaped portion between the tapered end portion and the flange wherein the tapered end portion faces toward the tapered surface of the abutting member; and an expandable friction member disposed around the threaded shaft between the abutting member and the tapered member whereby the expandable friction member expands when the nut component is threadably moved toward the abutting member of the pull-up bolt member.
 2. The bolt assembly of claim 1 wherein the second shaft end of the pull-up bolt member has an end face with a slot.
 3. The bolt assembly of claim 1 wherein the nut component and the tapered member are integrally formed.
 4. The bolt assembly of claim 1 wherein the tapered member includes a cylindrical central portion having a stop end with a peripheral surface that extends laterally from the cylindrical central portion, a tapered end opposite the stop end, and a bore through the central portion that is larger than the threaded shaft of the pull-up bolt member.
 5. The bolt assembly of claim 1 wherein the expandable friction member has a plurality of slots extending from each friction member end to a central continuous portion.
 6. The bolt assembly of claim 1 wherein the expandable friction member includes a plurality of segments and an expansion ring disposed around the plurality of segments forming an expandable tube.
 7. The bolt assembly of claim 1 wherein the expandable friction member includes plurality of spaced slots extending from each friction member end a predefined distance along the longitudinal length of the friction member and ending adjacent the opposite friction member end sufficient to maintain a continuous, single, unitary friction member.
 8. The bolt assembly of claim 1 wherein the expandable friction member has a lateral flange extending from a first friction member end.
 9. The bolt assembly of claim 1 wherein the expandable friction member has an inclined inner wall portion with a diameter gradually decreasing from a friction member end to an inner portion.
 10. The bolt assembly of claim 1 further comprising an anti-rotation member configured to prevent the expandable friction member from rotating around the pull-up bolt.
 11. The bolt assembly of claim 10 wherein the anti-rotation member extends laterally from the pull-up bolt member and mates with an end notch formed into the friction member end of the expandable friction member.
 12. The bolt assembly of claim 1 wherein the hardness of the expandable friction member is adapted to be harder than, equal to or softer than the hardness of the structural component in which the friction member is used.
 13. The bolt assembly of claim 1 wherein an outside surface of the expandable friction member has one or more surface characteristics selected from roughened, knurled, grooved, ridged, and threaded.
 14. The method of making a pull-up bolt assembly for use to frictionally support a manway cover to a hinge component using an opening or recess in the manway cover, the method comprising: obtaining a pull-up bolt having a threaded shaft with a first shaft end and a second shaft end, and an abutting member with a tapered surface formed at the first shaft end, the abutting member being wider than and tapering toward the threaded shaft; slidably disposing an expandable friction member around the threaded shaft wherein a first outer end of a first outer end portion is positioned against the tapered surface of the abutting member; threadably connecting a nut component with an external torque-applying surface onto the threaded shaft of the pull-up bolt wherein a tapered member with a tapered end portion, a flange disposed between the external torque-applying surface of the nut component and the tapered end portion and a cylindrically-shaped portion between the tapered end portion and the flange wherein the tapered end portion faces toward the tapered surface of the abutting member and engages a second outer end of a second outer end portion of the expandable friction member whereby at least the first outer end portion and the second outer end portion of the expandable friction member expands when the nut component is threadably moved toward the abutting member of the pull-up bolt.
 15. The method of claim 14 further comprising integrally forming the nut component and the tapered member as a unitary component.
 16. The method of claim 14 further comprising forming a cylindrically-shaped portion between the tapered end portion and the flange.
 17. The method of claim 14 further comprising forming the tapered member with a cylindrical central portion having a stop end with a peripheral surface that is wider than the cylindrical central portion, a tapered end opposite the stop end, and a bore through the central portion that is larger than the threaded shaft of the pull-up bolt.
 18. The method of claim 14 further comprising forming the expandable friction member that has a plurality of slots extending from each friction member end to a central continuous portion. 